Size of London.— 'London, saysjr the! Registrar-General, now covers 121 sxjii&se; miles. It is equal_to_:xl«»«-~&OTfdonsi;bf--1800. It increases at the rate of about 1000 a week, half by births (their excess over deaths), and half by immigration (their excess over emigration}. It is remarkable that in Lon||j}n ..one iv six of those who leave the =|pi|||l dies in one~of the public institutioni-^a.workhouse, hospital, asylum, or prison. Nearly one in eleven of the deaths is in a workhouse. Taranaki Iron Sand.*— The Lyttelton Times says : — " A private letter from England by last mail conveys authentic intelligence of the value of the Taranaki iron sand, iua commercial point of view. It. is found to make almost the best steel to be got in England. About ten tons of it had -lately got into the hands of a Sheffield firm, who had worked it up into all sorts of fine cutlery. The same" firm expressed their willingness or rather their anxiety to have considerable quantities of the ore, and arrangements were being made by Captain Moreshead, who took the first parcel home, to establish a smelting place at New, Plymouth. There is life in prospect for Taranaki, even after the war shall have done its worst." A Sabcasxio Pickpocket. — The pickpockets of London and Paris haye r long enjoyed the reputation of being the most adroit in Europe ; but if we believe the statement 'of *Mr. Chas. W , Stuttgrat can Fully rival these cities. Thatgejir fcleman was walking in the .Koenigstrasse, looking at the shops, when lie was accosted by an obsequious little man who offered his services to sliow him the lions of the capital, but the other refused the offer. The officious personage, however, was not offended, but politely asked him what o'clock it wae. The other answered he did not know, aslm watch had stopped, and continued his walk towards the museum of natural history, which he entered. He had not been there many minutes before the same person came up to him with -the air of an old acquaintance and offered him a pinch of snuff. This Mr. W declined,(Saying he was no snuff taker, and walked away ; bu^ some minutes after, having a presentiment of something being wrong, he felt for his snuff box, but instead of it found a scrap of paper in hia pockat, on which was written — " As you are no snuff taker you do not require a box." He thought the logic of bis unknown acquaintance -rather impertinent, and resolved to bear his loss like a philosopher. .moment after he found his watch was gone, and in his pocket another note in the following words, — " As your watch does not tell the hour, it would be better at the watchmaker's than in your pocket." It is unnecessary te say that he never heard anything of the articles. " Barber," said a fanner to his tonsor; " Now corn's cheap you ought to shave for half price." " Can't Mr. Jones," said the man of razors, " I ought really to charge more, for when corn's down fanners make such long faces. I have twice the ground to go over." A Consolation. — A dying planter, groaning to his favourite servant said, " Ah, Sambo, I am going on a long journey." " Never mind^ massa, it am all the way down bill," said the negro, very consolingly. -, „-r.r,.